“For more than a decade, our funding has been level, while at the same time, with inflation, we’re losing money because costs are increasing,” said Braxton Davis, the division’s director. “The division has been experiencing significant funding reductions over the past several years, including at the federal grant level as well as state appropriations.”

The division’s federal appropriations had stayed more or less level for the past decade, at roughly $3.1 million per year. But the grant — issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — was reduced by $142,500 in the past fiscal year.

The division, responsible for issuing and enforcing development permits along the coast under the Coastal Area Management Act, has also lost revenue from permit fees, which typically comprise between 10 and 11 percent of funding.

“Permit receipts are down 30 percent, due to the drop off in permitting activity during the recession,” Davis said.

The eliminated positions include one vacant slot for a policy analyst and four current employees: John Thayer, coastal planning director; Stephen Rynas, federal consistency coordinators; Debbie Savage, IT support for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; and Ted Tyndall, assistant director for permitting and enforcement.

Those duties will fall to other employees. For example, the assistant director position will be funneled to the division’s four district managers, who will now report directly to Davis.

“The organizational chart basically just got one layer flatter there,” he said. “The federal consistency coordinator duties will now fall on assistant major permits coordinator positions. Essentially, all of those duties will be split among existing staff.”

More cuts are possible next year, Davis said.

“There is some potential for small-scale cuts in state funds and also some small reductions in federal funds next year, but none of that is certain,” he said. “We are still running those budget numbers. I believe, however, that we’ll be okay for the coming year.”

The division previously reduced spending by doing away with cellphones for remote staff members and land-use planning grants to local governments, among other cost-saving measures.